Off to Negros

I'll be going to Negros today with my family. I'm a bit excited. It's been a long time since I went to our home province.

I'm so excited to see Dumaguete again. I really love Dumaguete. I have so many wonderful memories when I was there early this year.

I'll savor the travelling, as well. Only, I would've wanted to travel by bus with the Ceres bus lines. And also, I would've loved to ride the pumpboat again from Liloan to Sibulan. We will be bringing along our car, so there's no chance for that. Perhaps on my way home back to Cebu.

Until then.

Going to Church early

I went early to the city today to meet Bel. We went to Church (in Mabolo) early.

Going to Mass early is really a fresh experience. It sets the mood for the rest of the day right. In contrast, going to Mass late in the day can be stressful.

We had hotdogs, coffee, and Lift for breakfast.

We plan to join a Bible Study group in the Mabolo Church. It will be great since I've been planning on doing it for a long time already. The study group will be held every Wednesdays in the Church, 8:30 PM.

Prayers for Purity of Heart

What do you do in moments when your heart is tempted by lust? Would you repress the feeling or indulge in it?

Most of us think we only have those two options. According to Christopher West, and according to the Theology of the Body, there is actually a third option: Acknowledge the sexual feeling and embrace it as a gift from God. Mr. West expressed it beautifully in this prayer:

Lord, thank you for the beauty of this person whom you made to be loved -- never to be treated as a thing for my gratification. I renounce any tendency within me to use this person for my own pleasure, and I ask you to set my desires aright. Amen.

Our sexuality is God's gift to us. Things go wrong when we distort it or misuse it (Obsession with it leads to perversion, for example). Sex is such a beautiful gift because it allows the couple to express their love for one another physically. It is an instrument that allows the non-visible mystery of Love to be communicated, expressed, and shared into the visible language of sex. But it becomes legitimate only in the context of marital union.

Lord, I praise you and thank you for the gift of my sexual desires. By the power of your death and resurrection, untwist in me what sin has twisted so that I might know and experience sexual desire as you created it to be -- as the desire to love freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully. Amen.

Love -- real, authentic love -- is the giving of oneself to the other freely and totally, the same way Christ gave himself totally to the cross for love of us. That is the meaning of love that must define our relationship with our love ones: with our family and friends, and even with strangers, we must give unconditional love; and with our spouse, we must give ourselves totally for his or her welfare and for his or her growth as a person.

Lord, help me to accept and receive my sexuality as a gift from you. Grant me the grace to resist the many lies that distort this divine gift and help me to live my sexuality according to the truth of self-giving love. Grant me purity of heart so that I might see the image of your glory in the beauty of others, and one day see you face to face. Amen.

So, sexual attraction is a normal thing. What's not normal is when we allow that feeling to be transformed into lust, because lust reduces the person to a mere object. The wise thing to do, therefore, is to arrest that feeling before it turns ugly. We can call on God to guide our thoughts. We can thank Him for our sexual desires, and ask Him to help us express our sexuality the right way. And we can thank Him for the beauty of His creation, reflected, physically or non-physically, in the persons we meet in our day to day lives.

Missed the blogs launching

Yup. I wasn't able to go to SM for the SunStar blogs launching because I was in school the whole afternoon for our enrolment. Naka-ingun ra ba ko ni Max Limpag nga muadto ko....

Update:

Naunsa man ko uy... Last Tuesday pa man diay ang event (Oct. 25 = Tuesday, not Wednesday). I thought today. LOL.

Oh my love, my darling, I've hungered for your touch...

I think that Unchained Melody by the Everly Brothers is still the most passionate and beautiful love song ever written and sung. For me, at least. I'm listening to it right now and the melodies are reaching deep into my heart.

Hehe, and that's not an exaggeration.

SunStar Blogs launching

SunStar will be launching its blogs this coming October 25, Wednesday. It will be at the Atrium in SM City, in front of Krua Thai. The launching will start from 1:30 to 2:30. I plan to come.

New links

I've added a new category of links in my blogroll: Faith-related resources. If you have time, do try to visit these interesting sites. :)

And, by the way, for those of you who don't know yet, Jessice Zafra has a blog! You may visit it here.

The semester's finally over!

The semester's finally over. Whew. I'm so happy, but it's somewhat an empty kind of happiness, because for months I've been a bit busy with school, especially these past few days with our finals -- there was always something to read, to study, etc. -- and now, all of a sudden, I have time in my hands.

Finally, I will have time to continue reading more about Theology of the Body, which has really fascinated me, continue listening to the audio archives over at EWTN and their online radio programs over the internet, and start and finish the online "courses" at the Institute For Christian Living.

Hay salamat. Round 1 of my life as a nursing student is finally over. Am I ready for Round 2? This coming second semester we will be starting already our Community Health "duties" (I don't know what the proper term is) to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center and the different Health Centers. I'm actually a bit excited. I can't wait until I can start wearing the all-white nursing uniform. It would really make me feel that I'm a bonafide student nurse... =) I really want to get into the action na. To really go to the hospital and health centers and do some actual nursing work, instead of just reading and reading and reading the nursing books.

*****

On my way home this evening from Banilad in a jeepney, I sat next to a very interesting man. He was with a companion. They were maybe more or less 60 years of age, and they were talking about their schooling. They are taking a course at something over at USC Talamban, perhaps. But perhaps not, because I suspect they're pursuing a Masters degree in Theology (That should be in the San Carlos seminaries in Mabolo). That got me really intrigued. This man, he was talking about philosophy, about spirituality, about faith, about Marxism, about existentialism, about Heidegger, Buber, Tillich, and Nietzsche. Wow. Ganahan unta kaayo ko muistorya niya, to inquire where he was studying, and whether he's a teacher or professor, and whether he's really taking Theology. I wanted to talk to him about philosophy and existentialism. But I didn't have the time and opportunity. Dungan mi nanaug sa Colon, and I was hoping he'd ride a Bulacao-bound jeepney so I could have the chance to talk to him because I was also going to take that route. Sadly, he was not going my way. Sayang kaayo. Interesting unta kaayo siya.

I'm thinking that perhaps I'll study theology someday. I mean, really pursue a degree on it. And then later perhaps, teach. Maybe. My interest in theology today may just be passing. I'm interested in it because I'm interested in how I may live my life the right way.

*****

Hmmm.. what to do this semestral break? Me and my family, we're going to our province in Negros Oriental for the Kalag-kalag. Nagplano sila ako parents na magdala lang mi amo sakyanan, but I want to travel on my own, to ride the Ceres bus (Gimingaw na ko sakay ug Ceres bus!), to cross the sea from Liloan to Sibulan via the pumpboat (Ah! The pumpboat ride!), take a multicab to Dumaguete (Ah, Dumaguete, how I miss you!) and while away my time there. Go to Libro Bookshop, stroll the length of Rizal Boulevard, visit Silliman, eat at Scooby's, and just basically tour the city once again, and perhaps, if I have more time to spare, watch a movie at those old theaters. Ah, what a nice thought! I just wish I could bring my Pangga along with me... :(

Ah, the thought of travel reallly excited me! The last time I traveled was in March, when Pangga and I went to Davao. It would be an exhilirating experience to travel again, to see places again. Travel really expands one's horizons. It expands one's view of life, and I really need that right now.

Delicious to the ears

I'm feasting my ears on Orange and Lemons right now.

They're one of the best Pinoy bands out there, in my humble opinion. :)

Their music and lyrics are exquisitely beautiful.

I especially love this song... Such melancholy and tendeness...

Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)

There are times when I’m lying in my bed
How I bellow and cry from this stupid get
And my eyes are like windshields on a rainy day
Almost rubbed-out, swelling as I keep on
Digging my face in these cold hands of mine
Heaven knows how embittered I am

CHORUS

‘Cause this angel has flown away from me
Leaving me in drunken misery
I should have clipped her wings
And made her mine for all eternity

Now this angel has flown away from me
Thought I had the strength to set her free
I did what I did because I love her so
Will she ever find her way back home to me, ahh

INTERLUDE

I’m so tired, I feel like catching forty-winks
Being up all night in this elbow-room that puts me in a trance
Where hopes and dreams come true
Now, my lips are burning and my eyes are hurting
From these fumes I make, still I light another cigarette
Just to pass my time, oh, heaven knows how embittered I am

Tagged

I've been tagged by Ate Darlene. I promised her I was going to do my homework yesterday. Sorry, Ate, I was a bit busy... :)

So, here are the instructions: (This is pretty easy!)

1. Go to your archives.

2. Find your 23rd post.

3. Post the fifth sentence or closest to it.

4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog with these instructions.

5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.

Hmmm... my 23rd post is only 2 sentences long, and my 24th contains a text I only quoted, so I'm gonna post the 22nd instead (which is, interestingly, about our return demo on cleansing enema in school).

And the fifth sentence is...

"Yikes!!!"

Hmmm, is that suppose to reveal something about me? Hehehe.

Okay, I'm tagging:

Anj (Freespirit from Mindanao)

Lica (A nursing student from Silliman!)

Kendi (Another nusing student from, um, I don't really know yet... :) )

Ms. B (Cebuana architect and poet)

I would want to tag Ms. Ayeza, too, but it seems she's taking a break from blogging right now.

"Ginamos ug ang Kinabuhing Daplig-Dagat"

Talagsa ra ko ganahan og Bisaya poems. Kini tungod kay mabaw ra kaayo ako Bisaya vocabulary, so dili kaayo ko maka-appreciate og mga Bisaya nga balak. Mao na nga ganahan ko sa mga balak ni Ms. B, kay simple lang sila, bisan og lawum ang mga huna-huna og ang mga pagbati nga ilang gina-express.

Kining maong balak nadawat nako gikan sa Bisaya Bloggers Yahoo Group. Gwapo kaayo...

Ginamos ug ang Kinabuhing Daplig-Dagat
ni Che Fiel

Bulanon.
Wa tay mahimo.
Si Nanay nanangpit
Igawas ang garapon
Kay panahon na nga makuhaan
Ang mga bolinaw
Nga usa ka bulan ng giasinan.
Way kuha,
Matud pa ni Tatay
Kay ang mga isda ga iyahay
Sa lapa lapa sa lawud gataguanay.
Nangaon mi tanan
Sa ilalom sa bulan
Pagkahuman nanggawas ang mga silingan -
Ang mga inahan,
Gatapok-tapok sa may pantawan.
Ang mga amahan,
Gatinagayay ug tuba sa may lapyahan
Samtang ang mga bata,
Gapatintero sa basa.

Ug si Nung Tusoy gasugod nag balak
Dinuyugan sa gitara ni Undo nga iyang anak
Samtang ang bulan
Galili sa mga manag-uyab
Nga naggitik-gitik ug gaginukuray
Sa ilalom sa baga nga mga dahon sa Talisay.
Kay ugma kinahanglan na sad maghubang
Para ang pukot unya maandam
Kay sa Kadlawon nga musunod
Ihatud na sad sa mga inahan
Ang tingkarol
Samtang palawig ang mga amahan
Sa mga lawud nga wa pa naadtuan.
Ingon ini akong mahinumduman
Sa dapit nga among giput-an
Lami,
Bisan ginamos among sud-an.


(Si Che usa ka babayeng balaknon. Sa una pirteng latagaw apan karun nahiuli na gyud. Ang iyang binisaya gidalit niya sa iyang kagikan nga anaa nanimuyo karun sa usa ka baryo sa likod sa kinatas-ang bungtod sa Zamboanga Peninsula, ginganlan ug Lumad. Gidalit pud niya ang iyang mga balak sa mga nagkadaiyang pwersa nga karun, sa iyang dughan ug alimpatakan, gasanggka ug gadula.)

Truly beautiful! Bravo, Che!

More Bisaya poetry here.

Daghan na kaayo ganahan mag-nursing

Sa among section sa klase, mostly mga second-coursers mi tanan. Ug diverse kaayo among mga backgrounds. Si AS usa ka artist. Nigradute siya gikan sa UP. Full-time painter siya sa wala pa siya mu-enroll og nursing. Ug before pa jud ana, nimajor siya og Philosophy og English sa usa ka inila nga seminary diri sa ato sa Cebu. Si JG electrical engineer, si JA former medrep, si JY Psychology graduate, pareha nako. Pareha ra mi ug iskwelahan gigikanan, sa CDC (karon CDU na). Si Kuya A og Ate MP engineer pud. Si RA former seminarian pud. Si E former seaman. Naa poy nakatrabaho na og caregiving sa gawas sa amoa, pero nakalimut ko sa iya pangalan.

Sa uban sections, daghan pud kaayo mga second-coursers. Actually daghan jud kaayo second-coursers diri sa amo sa UV. Naay uban nga edad-edaran na. Naay uban mga mama na gali, aduna nay mga anak. Bilib ko nila kay bisan sa kalisud sa ilang schedule (tungod kay divided ilang time sa ilang studies og sa ilang family, o trabaho pa gani), kaya gihapon nila mu-eskwela. Nakuyawan gani ko sa wala pako mu-enrol og nursing, kay abi nako isa ko sa mga pinakatiguwang nga estudyante og nursing sa UV. Dili diay. Naa pa diay daghan nga mas "senior" pa nako. Haha.

Ug mao na ang rasun tingali nganong sa niaging board exams ang UV College of Nursing mao ika-3rd ug pinakadaghan ug pasar sa Cebu. First ang Cebu Doctors' University og second ang Velez og Cebu Normal University.

Karong second semester puhon, ablihan na ang bag-o nga building sa College of Nursing, tapad sa among building karon. It is almost the same size, so mamultiply jud tingali kaduha ang population sa nursing students sa UV. Karon, sa akong nahibaw-an, murag mga 3,000 plus nami kabuok nga nursing students. So next semester 6,000 plus na tingali mi! Maghuot na jud mi sa campus. Lipay kaayo si Noy Gullas.

Daghan na kaayo kog kaila sa una nga nar-nursing na pud karon. Katong niaging 2 o 3 ka semana natagbuan pa nako among silingan nga nagtrabaho sa isa ka insurance company didto sa among iskwelahan. Ganahan pud daw siya mag-nursing. Pero mag-trabaho lang gihapon siya samtang magtuon. Lisud na. Dugay siya mahuman, ug lisud kaayo ang schedule niya, labi na kung mu-duty na siya sa hospital. Early this year pud, nakita nako akong teacher sa psycholgy sa SM. Ni-resign na to siya sa iyang trabaho pagka-teacher, unya balita namo sa una mularga daw to siya sa Australia. Pero pagkita namo, nakuratan na lang ko pag-ingon niya nga nag-nursing pud diay siya! Na-shock ko, dili ko katuo, kay maayo to siya nga maestra. Intelligent kaayo. She could have pursued her teaching career further. Naa pud koy isa ka tita nga nag-nursing pud. Dentist siya, pero iyang family tua na didto sa Canada. Gipaapas na siya sa iya family didto, pero lisud man igawas kung dentist ka. So nag-nursing na lang daw siya kay sayun ra daw isulod og Canada isip usa ka nurse.

Makagukol jud ang atong kahimtang karon. Murag daghan na jud kaayong gusto mugawas sa nasud.

Katong miaging Huwebes, nagmisa sa among iskwelahan. Gwapo kaayo ang wali sa pari. Adunay kalabutan ang iyang mensahe sa among mga nursing students og nurse professionals. Gi-encourage mi niya nga tan-awn ang among motivation sa pag-tuon og nursing. Nagtuon ba lang mi para lang sa kwarta, sa sweldo namo puhon inig o kung makatrabaho nami sa gawas? O nagtuon ba jud mi og nursing kay ganahan jud mi mag-nurse og tawo, maghatag og care, magpakita og compassion sa mga nanginahanglan, sama sa gusto sa Ginoo nga buhaton namo? Niingon si father, kung ang rasun nganong nagtuon mi mao lamang aron makapasar lang mi sa among mga subjects, para mahimong nurses, og para maka-sweldo og dako (kung tua na mi sa gawas), mahimo jud nga lisud ang among studies. Pero kung among i-offer sa Ginoo ang among studies para sa Iyang "greater glory" og para sa Iyang mga plano, then mas-meaningful ang among pagka-istudyante sa nursing. Naa nay "joy" ang among pag-hatag og care. Niingon pud si father nga dili tungod kay nag-nursing uniform naka, naa na kay stethoscope diha sa imong abaga og nagbitbit naka og BP apparatus, tinuod jud ka nga nurse. Sa akong pagsabot sa iyang gisulti, ang pagkanurse wala lang sa outward appearance, kun dili naa pud especially sa imong kasingkasing ug sa imong mga lihok.

Ganahan ko nga i-examine nako akong motives nganong nag-nursing ko. Ganahan pud ko nga i-offer nako ni Lord akong studies. Sa tinuod lang, lisud jud ang nursing. Daghan kaayo tun-anan. And then sometimes pa ma-discourage ko kay dili ko ka-relate usahay sa uban nako classmates.

Wala ko kabalo kung I really have what it takes to be a nurse. I hope so.

EWTN Radio

I am enjoying immensely EWTN Radio. They have so many wonderful programs. Just a couple days ago I was listening to a program about the Da Vinci Code, and it interviewed two Catholic authors, and it was so interesting and informative.

EWTN also has a wealth of audio files of its radio programs and series. It's amazing, so many wonderful and interesting topics! (Search a topic in the serach engine or click on the "All Series" or "All Programs" buttons.)

Right now, I'm trying to learn about Theology of the Body and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I finally have the time to do that today. I only had one class today, and I skipped it, because I was listening to an interview by Christopher West, hehehe.

Beautiful quotes from the Pope

Faith is not to be reduced to a private sentiment, possibly to be hidden when it becomes uncomfortable; rather it implies consistency and bearing witness in the public sphere in defence of mankind, of justice, of truth.

And...

The encounter with Christ, constantly intensified and deepened in the Eucharist, issues in the Church and in every Christian an urgent summons to testimony and evangelization’ (ivi 24). This is emphasised in the dismissal at the end of the mass: ‘Ite, missa est’, which recalls the ‘missio’, the task for all who participated in the celebration to take to all the Good News received and to animate society with it.

From AsiaNews.it

Awesome calamities

I saw the news footages of the aftermath of the quake in Pakistan yesterday. It's a disaster whose magnitude is truly hard to imagine. Grabe, as of last count, 19,136 dead! Lisud imaginun unsa na ka daghan. And grabe ang destruction... entire towns and cities "wiped off the map"!

The accounts of some residents are chilling:

"Residents said the cries of children that had been heard throughout the day, coming from underneath the wreckage, had fallen silent."

In another part of the world, another calamity -- Hurricane Stan. Its death toll (over 1500) has already surpassed that of Katrina (1242, at last count).

First there was the great tsunami last year, then hurricane Katrina, then the quake in Pakistan and hurricane Stan in the South Americas. They all happened within such a short period of time, about 1 year.

Is it true that natural disasters are getting worser and worser these days?

Let us all pray for those who have died in these horrible, horrible calamities, and for their families.

Hero of Faith

This is such an inspiring story. Got it through email.

Hero of Faith

From: Face-to-face with inspiring people with Bo Sanchez

Dylan was born to a poor family. But at the young age of 20, he started a computer games company that made him a millionaire. Soon, Dylan operated in nine countries and ran his own TV channel. Then at the age of 25, Dylan sold his company for multi-million British pounds. He became the ninth richest person in the Great Britain under the age of 30. But one night, while lying on bed, he was distressed by a nagging question that wouldn't let him sleep. "God, why am I rich?" He asked if there was a reason for his immense wealth. Ironically, he also felt terribly empty inside. This, despite his ability to have any kind of pleasure he wanted. He had just bought himself a brand-new Ferrari and took one holiday after another. But he was discovering that pleasure was like fire it constantly needed more fuel to keep it going. And he realized he would never be happy in the path he was taking.

One day, a Filipina friend visited him. She said she felt guilty going there because her plane fare could have built two homes for the poor. That made Dylan pause. How can you build two houses for that measly amount? He decided to investigate.

In January 2003, he visited the Philippines. And for three hours, Gawad Kalinga (GK) Director Tony Meloto brought Dylan to different GK villages for the poor. With his own eyes, he saw something that would change his life forever...

Bo: What did you see on that day?
Dylan: I saw hope. More than newly built houses, I saw transformed lives. We were entering rather dangerous slums, breeding ground for thieves kidnappers -yet in the middle of that was an oasis -the Gawad Kalinga village. I saw people smiling, men working, children laughing... I've seen many other projects in South East Asia and across the world. And I've never seen anything like GK. This was different. This really worked!

Bo: So what did you do after your trip?
Dylan: I went back to England. I saw my BMW parked in the garage and realized I could build 80 homes with it -and affect the lives of 600 people. I saw the faces of the children I could help. I called up Tony Meloto and told him I was thinking of donating $100,000 to Gawad Kalinga and asked him if that was okay. .

Bo: What did Tony say?
Dylan: He said, "No, I don't want your money."

Bo: Only Tony can say some- thing like that. (Laughs.)
Dylan: He said if I was really serious in working for the poor, I should go back to the Philippines. So two months later, I sold my BMW and flew back to Manila. And in June of that year, I made a decision to stay in the Philippines and work for GK for seven more years.

Bo: Wow.
Dylan: I've decided to invest in the poor of the Philippines. Not in stocks or bonds. If I can help in uplifting the poor of this country, I can say that I spent my life well.

Bo: I presume your family wasn't too crazy about that decision.
Dylan: No! They thought I was brainwashed by a religious cult! (Laughs.) So my mother came and spied on me. But she was soon convinced of the beautiful work we were doing and went back home and told my sister about it. And my sister said, "Oh no, they brainwashed you too!" (Laughs.) But today, all of them support what I do.

Bo: You've made a decision to give up your wealth for the Filipino poor.
Dylan: I don't see it as a sacrifice. When you give charity out of pity, you feel pain parting with your money. But when you give charity because you love, you don't feel that pain. You only feel the joy of giving to someone you love. That's what I feel.

Bo: I hear you built an entire village for GK in Bulacan.
Dylan: I don't see it as my village. I just provided the materials. Architects, engineers, volunteers gave their labor. Together, we built 63 houses for the poor.

Bo: Amazing. What else do you do?
Dylan: I go around the world telling everyone that Filipinos are heroic. Because I work with them every day -the volunteers of GK.

Bo: What do you see in the Filipino that we take for granted?
Dylan: You're hardworking. You're always laughing, always eating, always singing. Even in your problems. You're loyal. And honest. Sure, there are exceptions, but generally, that's been my experience. And you have the bayanihan spirit. The pyramids of Egypt are beautiful but they were built by slavery. GK villages are more beautiful because they're made through the bayanihan spirit of the Filipino. It's especially this bayanihan and love of family and community that makes the Filipino more valuable than gold. If you take a golden nugget and kick it on the floor for 400 years, afterwards you won't be able to see much gold, just mud. This was what happened to the Filipino - for 400 years you were slaves and then you suffered under dictatorship and corruption. This is where the crab mentality came from; I don't think it's a natural Filipino quality because every day I see the gold under the surface of ordinary Filipinos. If we wipe away the mud by bringing hope and being brothers to one another in bayanihan, the gold will shine through and the world will see it.

Bo: Let me get personal here. I hear that you don't only love the Filipinos, but you've fallen for a particular Filipina.
Dylan: (Smiles.) Two months ago, I married Anna Meloto, the eldest daughter of Tony Meloto. She grew up with the GK work, so we're totally one in our mission. And yes, I'll be having Filipino children. The best way I can secure a future for my kids is to continue to help raise this country from poverty. Instead of building high walls in an exclusive subdivision to protect us from thieves and kidnappers, I will go to the breeding ground of thieves and kidnappers and help transform their lives.

Bo: Thank you for this interview. You don't know how much you inspired me.
Dylan: Thank you for being our partner in GK. I read KERYGMA every month and I'm happy to see GK stories in every issue.

Bo: It's our immense privilege to tell the world about it and ask others to join the miracle.
Dylan: To me, GK isn't just Gawad Kalinga. It is a part of "God's Kingdom" in this world. Thank you.

By the way, if you don't know it yet, Bo Sanchez has a program on ANC called "Tara Na, Pinoy!" every Sunday, 6:30 PM.

The Awful Truth

Do you like Michael Moore?

He has a show every Friday night (11:05 PM) on Reality TV (Channel 39 on Sky Cable) called The Awful Truth.

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it.

The line above comes from a song, I just don't know what the title is. My Pangga usually sings it when she's excited about something.

Well, tonight, I'm also excited, because...

Tomorrow, we will be having our return demo on Cleansing Enema!!! Yikes!!!

I can't tell you how excited I am...

Million Dollar Baby

I borrowed these VCDs from Video City in SM this afternoon:

Million Dollar Baby
Hotel Rwanda
Sideways

All critically-acclaimed, multi-awarded films. I've been wanting to see these movies but I missed them when they came out in the theatres.

I have to see Million Dollar Baby for my Health Ethics class. We have to submit a reaction paper about it tomorrow. (I wonder what's in the movie that's related to health ethics...) But since I don't anymore have the time to see it tonight, I'll just read its synopsis, and base my reaction paper on it. I'll just watch the movie after the class when I go home.

My heart seeks her

I'm certain that I love her
because when I'm alone at night
When I am most vulnerable
and afraid

When I can feel my soul
naked in the face of
life's uncertainties

My heart seeks her
My heart longs for her

Why I don't watch Pinoy Big Brother

This is my response (edited) to Ate Darlene's post on Pinoy Big Brother. (Warning: This might be offensive for some PBB fans. If you're one, proceed no further... hehehe)

For me, it doesn't matter really whether the show is scripted or not, because... I don't watch it... hehehe.

Really, I don't. I find it a waste of my time.

I don't understand why so many people like it. I mean, everywhere I go, people talk about it. I overhear conversations about it in school, in the mall, and even in the jeepney. ABS-CBN airs a special segment about it in "TV Patrol World", interviewing people about who they like and don't like among the "housemates", and who they want evicted). It really bothers me, the fact that a great many people can talk about something that just came out of nowhere, and talk about it as if it's equally important as, say, the "Gloriagate" issue or some other social or political issue of great importance. PBB has created such a great buzz in our society all of a sudden, and nobody seems to be asking the question, "Why?" As in, "Why all these buzz all of a sudden? What's all the fuzz about? So what if so and so "housemate" is likeable or not? So what if so and so is talented, or cute, or annoying or what have you? Why the preoccupation with these seemingly inane and irrelevant stuff?"

In my opinion, it just shows how great and powerful the mass media is, or how great its influence is over our culture. It comes up with shows that are designed to draw the highest ratings, and it becomes popular and the topic of daily conversation. That is the danger there, it can inject into the popular culture any program, as long as it is entertaining, provocative, or sensational, and hence, profitable, and the public will readily consume it without asking why the media is feeding them such commodities. There is danger there because the public swallows everything that the mass media feeds it, and remember that the mass media usually produces trash which are pretty unhealthy for the mind, the same way "junk foods" are unhealthy for the body.

Sorry if I'm being too cynical, but that's my view... :)